


Charlie Chocolate

by hilandmum



Category: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - All Media Types
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-09-16
Updated: 2013-09-16
Packaged: 2017-12-26 19:27:18
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,699
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/969427
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hilandmum/pseuds/hilandmum
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Mr. Wonka wants to create a non-melting chocolate, and Charlie and his family come to his aid.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Charlie Chocolate

**Author's Note:**

  * For [voksen](https://archiveofourown.org/users/voksen/gifts).



> For Voksen, I hope this fills your hunger for a fic about Charlie, Grandpa Joe and their family.

Willy Wonka whisked all of Charlie's family into the chocolate factory in a whirlwind that left everyone bewildered. But besides Grandpa Joe, who was as spry as a man half his age, Charlie's other grandparents remained in their huge bed in the large room where it was deposited.

Grandma Josephine was the first to get up. After she ate a meal of roast beef and mashed potatoes, a delightful change from cabbage soup and bread, Grandpa Joe was able to cajole her into sitting on the edge and dangling her feet over the side. Once he had her there, he told her about some of the wonders of the factory.

"You have to see the Chocolate Room to believe such a thing could exist. The river of chocolate running through it, and the waterfall that churns the chocolate, and the tubes that take the chocolate to the other rooms. It's a miraculous sight.”

Gingerly, her feet touched the floor.

“Let me get you some shoes.” Charlie grinned at her. He didn't have to go far. Two Oompa-Loompas were at the door with shoes of all sizes, and he picked a pair that looked about right. “How about these?” He brought them to her and slipped them on. 

Grandma Josephine's eyes fixed on the small men in the doorway. “Who...what are they?”

“Those are Oompa-Loompas, Grandma. Aren't they wonderful? They're the workers in this factory. Mr. Wonka rescued them from Oompaland.” Charlie took her right hand. “And I'm going to take care of them, too. And they're going to help me make the most wonderful chocolates.”

“Well, what are we waiting for? I thought we were going to the Chocolate Room.” Grandpa Joe rushed them out so fast that Grandma Josephine didn't quite get her second shoe on.

“We'll be back,” she called over her shoulder to Grandpa George and Grandma Georgina.

They met Charlie's parents in the hallway, but didn't stop to speak.

“Where are you going?” Mrs. Bucket asked.

“To the Chocolate Room. Come on!” Charlie grinned at them in passing.

The group continued on, passing door after door, some with odd-sounding names: The Caramel Apple room, the Candy Apple room and the Crab Apple room (“For grumpy folks,” said Grandpa Joe); the Chocolate Soda room, the Ice Cream Soda room, and the Bicarbonate 'n' Soda room (“For those who had too much of the other stuff,” Grandpa Joe said); and the Cocoa Bean room, the Jelly Bean room and the Jumping Bean room. He didn't have anything to say about that one.

At last they reached the Chocolate Room and found Mr. Wonka instructing his little workers in his latest idea. He stopped and smiled when he saw them. “Welcome. Welcome one and all.” He shook everyone's hands and beamed at them. “Come to see the nerve center of my little enterprise? Or should I say, Charlie's factory.”

“Not yet, Mr. Wonka. I hope you'll be here with me a long time so you can teach me all your secrets.”

“Oh, I plan to be, my boy. Now, where shall we begin?” He handed Charlie's mother and grandmother a flower. “Take a bite.”

The two women looked at each other, eyes wide. Charlie's mother shrugged and did as she was bid. “Oh, this is delicious, Mr. Wonka. How did you ever get the taste of fresh strawberries into this rose?”

Mr. Wonka grinned. “My little secret.”

“But I thought you were going to share your secrets with Charlie.” Grandpa Joe scrunched his forehead.

“I want to see what you're working on now,” Charlie said. “What were you telling the Oompa-loompas to do?”

“Well.” Wonka's eyes sparkled as he surveyed the family. “I thought it would be wonderful to have a candy bar that could sit out in the sun all day without melting.”

Mr. Bucket spoke up. “Why would someone want that? Most people, especially kids, eat their chocolate as soon as they open it. There isn't anything left that could melt.”

“Haven't you ever eaten s'mores?” Wonka's eyes took on a faraway look. “You spend the day, hiking through the woods or mountains or wooded mountains, then come back to your camp, cook dinner over a fire, then toast marshmallows and make s'mores. You can't leave the chocolate for those out in the sun all day.”

“That's true.” Mr. Bucket nodded. 

“So, did you make a candy that can do that?” Charlie asked.

Mr. Wonka's face fell and he shook his head. “It's not perfected yet. Oh, it won't melt in the sun, but it also won't soften when combined with a toasted marshmallow. In fact, it's hard as a rock. Two Oompa-loompas broke teeth trying it.”

“What did you add to make it non-melting?” Mrs. Bucket asked.

Mr. Wonka hesitated, pursing his lips. “That is a secret, but since I agreed to share all of my candymaking secrets with Charlie, I suppose I can tell his mother. Dear lady, I used confectioners sugar so each fine particle could be coated with cocoa butter and wouldn't melt. Alas, the cocoa butter sometimes burned during the chocolate preparation, so I substituted some other oils that wouldn't melt or burn.”

“I guess there's a lot to learn about the making of chocolate.” Charlie frowned.

But Mrs. Bucket, who was a fine cook when she had anything besides cabbage, had a suggestion. “If those other oils made the chocolate hard, perhaps you could go back to using cocoa butter and make the chocolate at a slightly lower temperature.”

“It's worth a try, isn't it, Mr. Wonka?” Charlie turned from his mother to the candy maker.

Without answering, Mr. Wonka called over two of the Oompa-Loompas. “Turn the boiler down ten degrees. Let's see what happens.” At last he smiled at Mrs. Bucket. “Thank you, my dear lady. Now I must get back to business. Tempus fugit, you know.” He turned from the family to continue what he was doing when they arrived.

They continued to look around and left him to work. That evening they told Grandpa George and Grandma Georgina about everything they saw.

“Oh, Georgina, Joe was right.” Grandma Josephine gushed with enthusiasm. “You should see the chocolate room. It's beautiful, lovelier than any park, and it smells so good! You must come with us tomorrow.”

So, the next day, when Grandpa Joe and Grandma Josephine got out of the bed, Grandma Georgina joined them. Charlie and his parents led the three of them to the chocolate room so Grandma Georgina could see it.

But Willy Wonka wasn't smiling. After a deep sigh, he told them, “The lower temperature didn't help.”

“I've been thinking about it.” Mr. Bucket walked closer to the chocolate waterfall. “Have you ever tried running that backward? What would happen if the chocolate went up instead of down?”

Mr. Wonka shook his head. “It couldn't churn as it mixed with the river. Not only that, but the waterfall spreads the flow of chocolate.”

“Try it, Mr. Wonka,” Charlie encouraged him. “It might work.”

Mr. Wonka smiled at him. “All right.” He strolled to where three Oompa-Loompas were collecting candy flowers while Grandpa Joe and Grandma Josephine showed Grandma Georgina some of the wonders of the chocolate room. 

“You can eat those.” Josephine pointed to the lily pads floating on the chocolate river.

“Oh, but they're too beautiful.”

“Why don't you take one back to George.” Grandpa Joe knelt carefully and collected one for her.

“He'll like that.” Georgina grinned. “Lilies were always his favorite flowers, especially water lilies.”

The treat they brought Grandpa George was enough to convince him to join them the next morning when they took their daily stroll to the chocolate room. Like the others, he wobbled a bit at first when he stood up for the first time in years, but by the time they reached that beautiful, vast chamber, looking so like an indoor garden, he felt ten years younger.

Again, they were greeted by a frowning Willy Wonka. “It didn't work. In fact, it made a major mess, flinging chocolate everywhere. The Oompa-Loompas have been cleaning the walls and floors all night.”

“Oh, Mr. Wonka, I am so sorry.” Mr. Bucket grabbed his arm. “It's all my fault. I shouldn't have made such a ridiculous suggestion. How can I ever make it up to you?”

“No, Papa. It's my fault. I encouraged Mr. Wonka to try your idea.” Charlie's eyes filled with tears.

“Oh, my dear people, it's not anyone's fault.” Mr. Wonka shook his head. “But I fear this factory is doomed.”

“Why? Just because the experiment didn't work?” Grandpa Joe looked confused.

“Slugworth claims he'll have a candy for sale in a month that won't melt, and Ficklegruber will have his in a week. There's no way I can match that.” Wonka dropped his head into his hands.

“You should keep trying.” Charlie put a hand on his shoulders. “You're the best. You'll think of something.”

“Not this time.” Wonka sounded completely defeated.

Charlie looked at his parents and grandparents. “Did you say you coated the sugar with cocoa butter?”

“Yes, that's right.” Mr. Wonka looked up at him. “You have an idea.”

“Did you ever coat cocoa butter with sugar?”

“I'm afraid that would melt even quicker.”

“Well, what doesn't melt but isn't hard?”

“Nothing I know.” But there was a faraway look in his eyes. “If I mix the sugar with something else and then coat the cocoa butter with that – Charlie, my boy, I think you're on to something.”

Charlie grinned at him. “No, you're the one who came up with the answer.” 

“We haven't tried it yet, but I think it will work.”

This time the family stayed until the experiments were done. They ate a picnic lunch beside the chocolate river, and later a picnic supper.

Finally, Willy Wonka joined them in the evening. The grin on his face said it all. “Oh Charlie! Your idea worked. This chocolate is perfect.” He handed them each a piece. “Have you ever tasted a chocolate this good?”

“Oh, this is wonderful!” Mrs. Bucket smacked her lips.

“What are you going to call it?” Grandpa Joe asked.

“Why, Charlie Chocolate, of course.”


End file.
